1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a self-contained mobile, high tech, rapidly portable and deployable wildfire protection, containment and firefighting system and methods of use thereof.
2. Background—Description of the Prior Art
Wildfires are becoming extensively more devastating, as more people move to high risk wild land urban interface areas. As such, traditional methods of fighting wildfires known heretofore have demonstrated hampered efficacy from the initial time point, in which a fire has started, until it has been totally obliviated and has shown limited promise to the extent that would be desired. These ineffective conventional methods include fire suppression means comprising only a single hose and nozzle per fireman.
Particularly areas that exhibit lack of continuous rain, extreme heat, wind, hills, slopes, abundance of trees, dry arid conditions and an array of dry fuel sources comprising homes with roofs made up by wood that are located in close proximity to wild forest land create a dangerous combination for the initiation and spreading of wildfires.
In addition, the aforementioned sources in combination with ignition sources like for example lightning strikes, broken down power lines, or just simply human errors particularly create a very dangerous cocktail, in which, it has been extremely problematic to control and stop the inferno of a domino effect with traditional fire suppressing means presently known in the art.
Moreover, as traditional methods employ the inclusion of human work force power to wipe out wild fires, there also exists the undeniable risk of serious potential injury and death to fire fighters.
Thus it goes without saying that there is specifically a need for a paradigm change in the field of fire suppressing and containment systems, and accordingly, an urgency in the development of a device and system that overcomes the detrimental conditions observed heretofore associated with uncontrollable urban wildfires which is precisely what the current invention addresses.
Over the years a vast variety of sprinklers, spray nozzles, water fans and such other devices have been utilized for fighting and extinguishing wildfires.
As such, there exists a number of United States patents that display the general purpose of teaching sprinkling and spraying systems which will now be discussed in detail.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,841 generally teaches straight tubes comprising discharge ports distributed along their lengths and are detachably connected to form elongated dispensing pipe lines which are connectable at one end to a source of fluid under pressure and are plugged at the other end. The tubes are flexible transversely of their axes into curvilinear shapes ranging from about 6 inches upwardly by forces applied by the hands of a given operator, while the hands directly grip the tube. The tubes retain their normal cross sectional shape when so curved. They are constructed of a plastic material, such that they are self-restoring or readily restorable manually to original lineal condition by reverse bending by hand. The tubes are resistant to torsional deformation by manually applied forces and the coupling between the tubes hold the tubes so tightly, that an operator by applying rotational or torsional forces to any one of the tubes manually while gripping it directly in his hands, can rotate the entire line as a unit with each tube retaining its fixed rotated position relative to the others.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,461 specifically relates to an explosive blast actuated jet stream of liquid distributing assembly, which is transported by and located at or near and operatively connected to the location at which, its operation is desired for applying successive increments of water as a continuous stream, which extends distances from the end of that assembly for purposes of quelling riots and controlling fires.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,179 discloses a method and apparatus for suppression of an aircraft and airfield fire. An array of fire retardant nozzles interconnected to a fire retardant supply system make up the essential parts of the system and is provided alongside a runway of an airport and interconnected with a computerized control network for remote activation thereof. An array of different types of sensors unique functional parts of the systems, as well in combination with the retardant nozzle system for detecting heat of the type produced from an aircraft and runway fire or incident and permitting fire retardant responses thereto. The sensors are constructed in conjunction with orientation and angulation drive systems for positioning the separate fire-retardant nozzles in a configuration for spraying fire retardant upon the selected combustion. The system is provided with a smoke and fume evacuation system for use in combination therewith, whereby toxic by-products of aircraft fire may be removed from the vicinity of the fire hazard. Moreover the system comprises a laser integrated glide path response system for use in conjunction with the computerized network for activation in times of detected emergency.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,291 discloses a self-erecting portable sprinkler to effectively fight fires in oil refineries, petrochemical plants operated from a remote safe position. The portable sprinkler and process can help contain and extinguish fires in refineries and petrochemical plants while protecting firefighting personnel by setting up a spray mist and wall or curtain of water on the fire, as well as between the fire and firefighting personnel. The equipment and process help keep the fire from spreading by cooling the temperatures in the area surrounding the fire and minimize injuries to personnel by dissipating the toxic gases and smoke. A self-righting sprinkler is remotely placed in an upright erect position near the fire, while firefighting personnel stay away from the fire. The system is operated by moving the sprinkler to an upright erect position and simultaneously activating the sprinkler to spray a mist, curtain, and wall of water between the fire and firefighting personnel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,448 is specifically concerned with a container washing apparatus for washing containers like beverage cans. An elongated liquid supply pipe comprises a plurality of angled fittings connected along opposite sides of the pipe. Each fitting includes a connect and a disconnect structure on its outer end for mating with the same structure of a fan spray nozzle. The fan spray nozzles may be turned onto the ends of the angled fittings in a twisting motion to align each of the elongated fan spray patterns parallel to one another and to the longitudinal axis of the pipe. The container washing apparatus is used in a washing system including a liquid permeable conveyor for moving a manifold of containers past a plurality of elongated spray pipes of the invention, which are mounted adjacent upper and lower sides of the conveyor in a perpendicular orientation relative to the movement of the conveyor.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,693 relates to a spray shower apparatus reconfigurable and adjustable for watering plants. The apparatus consists of a kit enabling modular assembly and enclosed within a common enclosure. The principal component of the kit is a rigid liquid conduit having at least one threaded end and a manifold of orifices disposed on the lateral wall of the conduit. The conduit has a plurality of spray nozzles attachable to the orifices of the liquid conduit. Each spray nozzle is adjustable as to the direction of spray relative to the liquid conduit. Other components of the kit include a connector for connecting the liquid conduit to an external source of liquid, brackets for securing the liquid conduit to a vertical environmental surface and an end cap for closing the distal end of the liquid conduit. Yet other components of the kit include a tee connector to accommodate branched arrangement of plural liquid conduits, a connector nipple enabling abutting connection of adjacent liquid conduits, threaded hose adapter fitting for connecting the liquid conduit to a garden hose or other source of liquid, and an adapter for enabling adjacent liquid conduits to be connected by slipping a garden hose over each conduit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,065 generally exemplifies a fire fighting apparatus including a container with two tanks therein, wherein one of the tanks is used for holding a given quantity of water and the other for having a quantity of foaming agent, a pump which is operated by a gasoline engine, several hoses for directing a water and foam mixture at a fire and for refilling the water tank with water from a water encompassing source, and a valve system for directing the water and foam mixture through two different hoses at the fire, while the water from a source is used either directly on the fire, or for replacing water utilized from the tank. The apparatus is held within a container mounted on casters, such that it can be conveniently wheeled about. The unit is adapted for use in areas remote from fire departments.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,644,776 teaches a preassembled water transfer pipe for use in a fire fighting system, in which the water transfer pipe includes a generally hollow conduit member formed from a predetermined material and having each of a predetermined length and a cross sectional shape and a connection member equipped with a predetermined size connection for receiving a hose disposed at one end of the aforementioned hollow conduit member. Further, there is a pipe support assembly disposed at an opposite end of the hollow conduit member.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,492 discloses a portable fire suppression apparatus that has a conduit with an open end and a closed end. In some embodiments, the conduit is a combination of several similar conduits connected with couplings with the last conduit having a closed end. The conduit has a plurality of apertures disposed upon its length at distinct intervals. When a fire suppression agent is forced throughout the conduit, the medium streams from each aperture and drenches the surrounding area, and thereby provides a fire break and air borne spark suppression capability. The apparatus further includes means for stabilizing the conduit against rotation when high pressure medium is forced there through.
It is apparent from the presented prior art that there is generally an evident lack of a multipurpose deployable system and methods of use thereof in order to protect entire subdivisions, cities, towns, villages and the environment. Thus the limitations of the prior art are clear and would not offer much protection to fire fighters, high-rising mountainous regions or homes in wide-ranging and sweeping wildfire incidents. A desirable multipurpose deployable system would confer efficient fire suppression, containment and protection line covering extensive stretches of land that can either be remotely or manually controlled, such that fires with extensive reach are efficiently kept in check and thereby eliminated. Moreover there is further a crucial need in the prior art, where the construction and manufacture of such fire suppression systems consist of a heat resistant metal that is not readily vulnerable, and that can withstand the extensive temperature of the radiant and convection of heat and flames of the fire.